(United Nations) The UN Secretary General on Wednesday called on Iran to exercise “the greatest restraint” in the face of the demonstrations which are shaking the country and have already left dozens dead since the death in mid-September of a young woman arrested by the morality police.
Posted yesterday at 9:05 p.m.
“The Secretary General calls on law enforcement to refrain from using any unnecessary or disproportionate force, and urges everyone to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid an escalation,” Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement. Spokesperson for Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
“We are increasingly concerned by reports of increasing numbers of deaths, including of women and children, in connection with the protests,” he said.
He also expressed the need, according to the UN, for a “rapid, impartial and effective investigation” into the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old Iranian woman died in hospital on September 16, three days after her arrest in Tehran for violating the strict dress code for women in the Islamic Republic of Iran, who must cover their hair in public.
His death provoked a vast movement of anger, and the protest has since spread in several Iranian cities, with some demonstrators launching anti-government slogans, according to local media. More than 1,200 protesters, including women, have been arrested, authorities said.
According to a report including demonstrators and security forces published by the Iranian news agency Fars, around 60 people have been killed since the beginning of the protest movement.